Effects of Smoking

The effects of smoking depend on how long you have been smoking, and what you smoke. Many feel it safer to smoke a pipe or cigar than cigarettes, but in general, they are wrong. Let's have a look at what happens to you when you smoke a cigarette.

It all depends on how used you are to smoking, and how susceptible you are to the thousands of toxic chemicals contained in tobacco smoke.

Harmful short term side effects include:

• A rapid raise blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Blood flow in the small capillaries drop
• Blood carbon monoxide levels rise dramatically

Long term side effects on the body are:

• Cancers
• Lung diseases
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Osteoporosis and weakened bones
• Circulatory problems
• Ulcers
• Premature aging
• Damage to the fetus
• Low sperm count and impotence

Let's look at a few of these more closely:

Cancers

Most people are aware of the dangers of lung cancer, and according to the Surgeon General 90% of cases of lung cancer deaths in men are caused by smoking, and about 80% in women. Smoking is also the cause of the vast majority of cancers of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and bladder. It also causes cancers of the kidney, cervix, stomach and pancreas. 30% of all cancer deaths in the USA are caused by smoking.

Lung Diseases

In addition to cancer, there are several other bad effects on the lungs. The Surgeon General has reported that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mainly Bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema, resulted in up to 118,000 deaths annually in the USA, 90% of which were attributable to smoking. Smokers of either sex were at least 12 times more likely to die of a pulmonary disease than non smokers.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Almost 35% of smoking related deaths are due to diseases of the arteries and heart. A smoker has 2 - 4 times the chance of developing chronic heart disease than a non-smoker. In fact, as a smoker, you are more likely to die from heart disease than from cancer.

Smoking and the Fetus

Smoking during pregnancy can be disastrous to the unborn baby. The carbon monoxide in a two pack a day habit restricts the oxygen supply to the developing fetus by 60%. This results in stunted growth and lack of development, and can even cause premature births and stillborn children.

Smoking and Children

It was already stated that pregnant women shouldn't smoke. However, it should also be avoided throughout the child's life. Chemicals from the mother can be passed to young babies while breastfeeding. Nicotine levels in breastfed babies among mothers who smoked have been found to be 10 times higher then from non-smoking mothers.

Also, 80% of all smokers started when they were teenagers. While many times this is due to psychological issues such as peer pressure and self esteem, often times they develop the habit from mom and dad.

Sperm Count and Impotence

Several bodies have reported that smoking can reduce the sperm count, and also render men impotent. A report by the BBC in the UK has stated that smokers are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than non-smokers, and this has been confirmed by many medical bodies. Smoking causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries feeding the penis, and the nicotine also constricts the smaller blood vessels leading to impotence.

Premature Aging

The New Scientist has reported that a study in Nagoya City University in Japan has found that smoking leads to an increase in an enzyme that breaks down skin, and also a reduction of up to 40% in the production of the collagen needed to renew skin. The result is people start showing premature physical signs of aging of the skin and the excessive formation of wrinkles.

In addition to these, more of your brain cells die the longer you smoke, and brain function can be reduced. You can also suffer strokes due to constrictions in the blood vessels supplying the brain.

Needless to say the effects of smoking are disastrous. According to the American Heart Association, non-smokers live on average about 14 years longer than smokers.

If you are a smoker and you want to live a longer, healthier life; you should seriously consider quitting as soon as possible.

If you don't know where to begin, we strongly recommend the Cigarrest program. Since 1986 they have helped over 1,000,000 people quite smoking. There program is not only all-natural and non-addictive, but it contains no nicotine and is the most powerful non-prescription program available. The program breaks both the physical and psychological addictions with no withdrawal or weight gain. You will experience no irritability or nervous tension while your cravings for cigarettes are reduced. They offer a free 30 day supply to help you get started so you have nothing to loose and every thing to gain, especially your health. Be sure to visit the CigArrest Official Site today